


Ruff Days

by undertheNitesky



Category: Naruto
Genre: Kiba needs to expend his pun vocabulary, M/M, Shiromaru aka the cupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 03:23:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16077317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undertheNitesky/pseuds/undertheNitesky
Summary: It has been a series of rough days (years, actually) for Sasuke and heaven was kind enough to spare him some mercy by gracing him with the presence of a therapy dog and its trainer. Surprisingly, the encounter was very therapeutic that he decides to adopt a lot of dogs - and Kiba.





	Ruff Days

**Author's Note:**

> There's tons of M rated fanfics involving Kiba but all I want is fluff (and a happy Sasuke) so I brought it upon myself to write a fluffy one-shot. Sasuke and happiness can't be together? There's nothing dogs (and Kiba) can't fix.

The last Uchiha is very sure his life was already packaged and sealed for Shinigami’s approval. For the umpteenth time, he is proven wrong by a wet lick on his cheek. The messiah is currently blasting pants of hot breath at his face. His cool cheeks - with the courtesy of the loving lick - warms up as he tries to maintain his straight face.

“Shiromaru!” An obstreperous voice snaps him out of his daze. An alarmed looking Inuzuka enters his peripheral vision. His dark hair curls under the heat and sweat and his face considerably flushed as he comes to an halt in front of Sasuke. The brunette’s brows rises when he locks eyes with him.

“Hey, sorry about that. Really.”

“Hn.”

“Shiromaru, c’mon!” The massive dog leaves his perch on Sasuke’s lap and sticks to Inuzuka’s side, still jumpy with excitement and eagerness. Letting out a bark, Shiromaru reclaims his spot on Sasuke’s lap and boops his nose against the man’s cheek.

Kiba looks back at Sasuke, who is instinctively squints his oddly brown left eye whenever Shiromaru licks his left cheek. He hasn’t seen the Uchiha since the small gathering at Ichiraku years ago. Taking in the appearance of the heavily dark clothed man, his brows furrowed in in quick process of deduction. He glances back at their surroundings before turning back to Sasuke, his stomach sinks a little when a certain assumption dings in his head.

Plastering his best grin on to hide the heavy realization, Kiba walks towards Sasuke and leans down to ruffle Shiromaru’s head, “Having a ruff day, uh. Ever thought about giving dog therapy a try?”

If the warm fur ball attacking Sasuke with nose boops didn’t dissipate the chill of the heavy dark corners of his heart, the sharp grin on Kiba’s face definitely did the job.

“So?”

Kiba holds his gaze, expecting a reply. His large, calloused hand hovers over the golden retriever - who has finally calmed down and is lying against the curvature of Sasuke’s lower abdomen.

Sasuke’s somewhat miss-matched eyes catches the slight tilt of Kiba’s head, the waves of his dark brown locks shifting to the side with the head tilt and the eager shine in his animal-like eyes.

_Well, if the Inuzuka is part of the therapy package, he will sign up in a heartbeat._

Shinigami can try prying Sasuke’s life out of his hands, because he has an inkling feeling he might end up paying the therapy sessions with his soul.

x x x x x

"Are you taking me for a dog?!"  
  
"I said no such thing, Inuzuka."   
  
"But you just said-"

Kiba is here to check on the Uchiha to make sure everything is alright, as well as to give him the books Hana recommended on dog parenting. Not argue about Sasuke’s double meaning on dog therapy.

Not in a million years did he think that stubborn man would seek any kind of therapy - or even think about it. Sasuke raising a bunch of cute puppies while taking therapy sessions would be a damn sight. The Uchihas smiling and accepting the company of other living beings? Ha!

The number of bets Kiba can possibly win with this juicy piece of information leaves him cackling like a rich councilman in his head. At this rate, Sasuke might as well win his heart to seal the dea-

Wait. He is not supposed to think of that either!

Kiba puts a palm over his eyes and breathes in and out deeply. “Never mind."

Maybe a glass of cold milk and beef jerky would help him get his focus on track and finish up the remaining errands.

Sasuke continues to play the puppy that is lying on his stomach, an unreadable expression on his face. Kiba does not want to know what that means. He just wants a glass of cold milk. So he ignores the man still lying on the ground and walks past him towards the kitchen.   
  
"Your company is rather.. congenial."   
  
Kiba pauses and looks genuinely curious. "What does tha-"   
  
Sasuke is smiling - technically, because the only time a Uchiha ever smiles is when they have your life at their mercy. The smile etched on his lips is a small and gentle one. The kind of smile someone has when they are reminiscing about a good memory during their ‘alone’ time.   
  
Kiba's jaw goes slack at the sight. He almost forgets to breathe. He snaps out of his trance to find himself staring at Sasuke - who is also staring at him   
  
"I.. I'm gonna get myself a glass of milk."   
  
"Bring the dog treats while you’re at it."   
  
Kiba mumbles a "got it" and makes his way to the kitchen. A weird sensation burrows into his chest and sits snugly there.   
  
Here's the thing. Kiba and Sasuke are not close - not even relatively close. They barely talked to each other since the first day of class in the academy.   
  
Sasuke was the popular kid and Kiba was the unpopular kid who would rather scavenge the village for new discoveries than mingle around because humans are weird.

(The ninja academy preferred boring classes instead of school trips. He felt jealous when he got letters from his cousin who lives in the central city of the Fire country. Apparently, the schools there were nothing like Konoha. Of course, the village is a military state but even _one_ school trip would be nice.)   
  
He used to detest Sasuke. For betraying the village, for making his former classmates cry. Almost costing them a wiped out nation. Kiba knows Sasuke might not have been directly involved in the crimes but he was one of the catalyst. That was enough to make anyone lose it and throw an empty milk carton at that black-haired man.   
  
That was what he used to tell himself to ease his mind. To stop himself from drowning in his decade-old pit of depression-inducing guilt. He still feels guilty for not trying hard enough. He was too carefree, throwing boisterous and big claims that he will become the Hokage one day.

What a joke.

In the end, that loud as hell Naruto has higher chances of claiming the seat. In fact, the council has probably agreed to appoint Naruto when he was ready.

Ah.. His genin days still gives him a cringe-fest.  
  
But that is all in the past now. He is only a few days away from being promoted to the tokubetsu jounin rank.

That's a personal record for a ninja who used to have only one decent tactic, he thinks dryly. Maybe he should go for a seat in the council. But much to his dismay, doubt still lurks over him day and night, whispering 'what-if's' into his mind, muffling his own voice. Inuzuka are supposed to be headstrong and not waver at the sight of their adversaries; and here he is - still struggling. Still afraid to look up to the sky and dream big like his younger self used too.

Afraid of failure.  
  
At this point, he can sense dark clouds looming over him, ready to strike him with the nastiest lightning. Dammit.   
  
"What is taking you so long?"   
  
Kiba blinks. A cold milk carton in his numb hand, chill droplets of water drips onto his left foot. He can hear the dogs barking from the living room. He looks to his right and sees Sasuke pulling out a small packet of dog treats from the cabinet over the kitchen counter.   
  
"Nothing... Just got lost in my head."   
  
Sasuke hums in reply before walking out of the kitchen with the packet in hand.   
  
Refusing to let his thoughts get the better of him, Kiba goes over to the cabinet below the kitchen counter to find a tray, a plate and glasses. After scanning through the almost empty cabinet where Sasuke just got the dog treats, he catches sight of a box of tomato flavoured cream crackers.   
  
_What the hell does this guy eat everyday? Air?_   
  
Not bothered by the miserable snack he just found, Kiba puts everything on the tray and makes his way back to the living room with the tray in his hands and complaints hovering on the tip of his tongue.   
  
"Oi, you need to eat more than just crackers."   
  
Kiba's nagging falls to deaf ears as he is welcomed by the sight of Sasuke struggling to get the dogs to eat the treats properly. Half of the treats are on the floor while the dogs bumped heads with each other for the ones in Sasuke's hand.   
  
How the hell can you go wrong with giving dogs some treats? If he wasn't holding the tray, he would have facepalmed.   
  
So the Uchiha do have some weaknesses, Kiba muses as he puts the tray on the low table and sitting near the dogs.   
  
"Didn't you have a dog back then?" Kiba vaguely remembers that the main Uchiha family used to have a Shiba Inu.   
  
"They got excited." Sasuke argues back with a frustrated glare fixed on his face.   
  
"Right." Clearly not buying the Uchiha's excuse, Kiba picks up the fallen treats and and whistles for the dogs' attention. That catches their attention and they quickly scurry over to his lap.   
  
"See?"   
  
"I know that as well, Inuzuka."   
  
Visibly annoyed, Sasuke lightly shakes the packet and pulls out a handful of tiny treats. That causes the dogs to go over to his side. Sasuke looks up at Kiba with a faint smirk on his face.   
  
Pfft, this guy has no idea how awesome Inuzuka are. "Hey buddy, over here."   
  
At the sight of the bright, red fangs marked Inuzuka, the dogs backtrack to Kiba, jumping on his lap to lick his cheeks and snag the treats off his palm. A smug grin creeps over his face in no time.   
  
"I guess dogs like me better."   
  
"Are you sure?" Sasuke opens his one arm to imitate Kiba calling over the dogs and stares at Kiba expectantly.   
  
Realising what the Uchiha has in mind, Kiba goes red in annoyance. "You're totally taking me for a dog!"   
  
"I don't know what you are talking about, Inuzuka."   
  
That damned tone of his!   
  
Kiba throws a small dog treat pallet at the man. It bounces off Sasuke's forehead and lands on his lap.   
  
"Go get him, guys!"   
  
The dogs go over to Sasuke to snuggle against his abdomen instead. Now, Sasuke is spotting a full smirk to beat Kiba's victorious grin. To rile up the brunette, Sasuke turns his right cheek towards him.   
  
Another treat lands on his cheek instead - it was neither a kiss nor a lick.   
  
"This isn’t how therapy works."   
  
"I am _not_ a dog! And since when did you gain a non-Uchiha personality?"

Hell, he should be on his way finishing his remaining errands. Not argue with this frustratingly - good-looking and - overweening man.

Visibly enjoying the brunette’s distress, Sasuke strokes the smooth and fluffy coat of the puppies’ fur. He quietly takes the glass of cold milk that Kiba passes to him and holds back his reply.

_Since I found you…_

x x x x x

Sasuke wakes up at night with the smell of rancid toxins and blood stinging his nose. He sees a familiar brunette with a lopsided grin perched on his room window seal. It is supposed to be closed shut with traps.

“Yo. Having a ‘ruff’ lil’ day. Hope you can provide some cuddle therapy.” His voice still has an attempted gleam of mirth in it, despite the visible tremor racking his blood caked body.

Sasuke pulls in the brunette as gently as he can with his only arm, “There’s no such thing as _cuddle_ therapy, Inuzuka.”

Kiba instantly melts into his arced arm and wraps his arms around the Uchiha. He takes in a practiced and calm breath. Sasuke’s lightly fragranced sweater is starting to absorb the grime layered on his body armour. Counting his partner’s slowly rising heartbeat, Kiba buries his tear stained face against the crook of Sasuke’s neck. The soft feathery texture of Sasuke’s sweater brushes against his left cheek, whispering promises of a warm bed and godly amount of cuddles. Screams and curses that hooked onto his back like searing hot needles from the mission ebbs away by each passing second.

(Kiba knew the aftermath of the mission he undertook with Team 8. Hunting down Orochimaru and killing him felt like he just experienced a month of torment under the claws of Izanami. Orochimaru’s lair looked like a replica of Yomi-no-kuni. He really hopes there will be no need for Susanoo-no-tsurugi task force _ever_ again. Gods, please.)

A shaky laugh escapes his dry lips, “Of course there is - and you’re hella good at giving them.”

“Idiot.”

Sasuke doesn’t stop calling him an idiot during the entire process of cleaning and patching up the Inuzuka. Once he was done, he drags Kiba to bed. He resists the urge to smother Kiba with a pillow when the tanned man had the utter decency to mumble “I’m your idiot” with a tired grin on his face while pulling him into his bigger form and falling asleep.

Not the kind of therapy package Sasuke asked for but he can manage.

x x x x x

“So, I was thinking of a way to end the last day of your therapy sessions.”

Sasuke regards him over a bowl of salmon Poke Bowl. He raises a brow in question as he prods his meal for more cubed tomato.

“Instead of putting a bow on it, we can put a ring on it!”

Hmm, he should have added more tomato. One can never go wrong with extra toma-

_Wait, what?_

Sasuke experiences a minor mental whiplash as he stares wide-eyed at his mettlesome boyfriend who has his arms in the air - literally sparkling with happiness and anticipation. Ignoring the paucity of formality in Kiba’s proposal and the quickening pace of his heartbeat, Sasuke address the man with a levelled gaze - hoping he doesn’t catch the euphoria flooding into his person, “Are you proposing marriage?”

Kiba’s smile intensifies, “I mean, we practically act like a married couple - that’s what everyone has been telling me. Why not make it official?”

Being the ultimate being of ardor that he is, Kiba wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and adds, “You can finally get full access to this hella boopable booty. Rumours say that it’s god-tier.”

The Uchiha regrets getting his Rinnegan destroyed because _fuck_ , he wants to teleport both of them straight to his bed and properly officiate their engagement.

x x x x x

“So, you _do_ like it ruff uh?”

That earns the Inuzuka a slap on his buttocks.

“Shut up.”


End file.
